I was inadequate for politics, says Big B

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who was an MP for a brief period in the 1980s, says he discontinued his association with politics because he felt he was "inadequate for the job".

"Many ask me why I joined politics and then why I left it. I joined it because I was asked to and left because I was inadequate for the job," Bachchan posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com.

The sexagenarian came into politics at the behest of good friend and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. He contested the Lok Sabha election from his native Allahabad in 1984. Though he won by a huge majority, Bachchan failed to make his mark as a politician.

He says it's a tough job to be a politician and admires those who have managed to stay put in it.

"Politics is a complicated world - a world where if you are unable to play the game, you would remain a novice and a stranger eternally. I admire those who have remained in it for long years. Admire the guile with which they steer their boats everyday, every minute. The ease with which they make associations and break them, reject foes and months later embrace them as dearest friends. It is a tough job.

"A job that I would never be able to do. I would never recommend it to anyone. But I do know that those that pursue this line, do so with utmost dedication and passion. Their dedication and passion is admirable," he said.

Bachchan is currently in Singapore with his politician friend Amar Singh. The Samajwadi Party leader had undergone a kidney transplant there recently.